Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) Shares Sold by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) by 0.1% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 68,463 shares of the company’s stock after selling 44 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Marriott International were worth $16,308,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MAR. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Marriott International by 46.7% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in Marriott International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.70% of the company’s stock.

Marriott International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MAR opened at $281.65 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $266.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $262.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 1.41. Marriott International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.55 and a fifty-two week high of $307.52.

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.19 billion. Marriott International had a negative return on equity of 100.64% and a net margin of 9.75%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marriott International, Inc. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

Marriott International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. This is a boost from Marriott International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Marriott International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MAR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $245.00 price target (down from $313.00) on shares of Marriott International in a report on Monday, April 14th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Marriott International from $293.00 to $285.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Marriott International from $295.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Marriott International from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Marriott International from $283.00 to $236.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marriott International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marriott International

In other Marriott International news, CEO Anthony Capuano sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.90, for a total value of $3,166,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 124,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,741,281.30. This represents a 8.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin T. Breland sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.21, for a total transaction of $270,210.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,724 shares in the company, valued at $5,599,832.04. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,107,710 over the last 90 days. 10.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc engages in operating, franchising, and licensing hotel, residential, timeshare, and other lodging properties worldwide. It operates its properties under the JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, St. Regis, EDITION, Bvlgari, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels, Le Méridien, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord Hotels, Design Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments, Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Aloft Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Moxy Hotels, Element Hotels, Protea Hotels by Marriott, City Express by Marriott, and St.